Hypnotize
Hypnotize is the BioShock 2 Plasmid successor to Hypnotize Big Daddy and Enrage from BioShock. The key difference is that it allows the player to "befriend" Splicers as well as Big Daddies by "charging up" the Plasmid by holding in the left trigger for a few seconds until the Plasmid turns green. Upgrade Path ''Minerva's Den'' First available at a Gatherer's Garden in Minerva's Den for 60 ADAM. ''Minerva's Den'' First available at a Gatherer's Garden in Minerva's Den for 120 ADAM. ''Minerva's Den'' Can be purchased for 160 ADAM in Gatherer's Gardens onward the second machine in Operations. Strategy *Only one enemy at a time can be befriended. If a second enemy gets hit by a charged Hypnotize Plasmid, they will become befriended and the first one will revert to being hostile. As such, always befriend the most powerful enemy, and switch if a better one comes along. *However, firing a non-charged Hypnotize Plasmid at an enemy will not change a befriended enemy's status, and there is no limit to the number of enemies one can Hypnotize in this manner. *Befriended enemies won't attack each other, but they will attack Hypnotized enemies (who also attack each other). As such, avoid using this Plasmid too frequently over the course of one battle, as it would be uneconomical. (Since it is not possible to befriend more than one enemy at a time, this should not be a problem.) *Befriended enemies will revert to normal behavior after a few minutes. If a long enough period of time has passed, or if the player simply feels their ally's usefulness has run its course, the best solution would be to kill the enemy (which should have been weakened after battling alongside Delta) before the Plasmid's effects stop working. *Big Sisters can be Hypnotized in the last level where there are two sisters. They can be made to attack each other. *Befriending a Big Daddy will cause the Little Sister it's protecting (if any) to run away. *Hypnosis Polyps in the research laboratories of Fontaine Futuristics can be used in the same manner as the Plasmid, either by shooting at them when an enemy is near or using Telekinesis to throw them directly at opponents. *Attacking a Hypnotized or befriended enemy will cause them to attack the player. Avoid firing in an ally's direction. *If an enemy is closer to an ally than the player, they will focus their attention towards the former. This can be used to cause a distraction, attack from afar, or simply create breathing space in the midst of a heated battle. *It is best to befriend an enemy in preparation for the following events: **A Little Sister ADAM gathering session. **A Big Sister attack. **Attacking a Big Daddy. **A major battle of any kind. *The following subsection will cover the advantages and disadvantages of using this Plasmid on each enemy type, as well as how recommended it is to befriend them: **'Thuggish Splicers:' Disappear early on in the game, and thus cannot be befriended. They are also inferior in every aspect to Leadhead Splicers, so it's usually not worth Hypnotizing them. However, the player is able to Hypnotize them in the downloadable content; Minerva's Den & The Protector Trials. **'Leadhead Splicers:' Recommended. These enemies are designed to deal damage, which is usually what the player needs. They can also take on foes in cover and soak up enemy fire. Befriend Shotgun Leadheads in close-combat environments and Machine Gun Leadheads in large and/or vertical portions of the map. **'Spider Splicers:' Moderately recommended. Although they are capable of dealing damage, they don't inflict as much as Leadheads. However, they can reach enemies much more rapidly. Their main use would be to distract enemies, as they have a high amount of health. **'Houdini Splicers:' Not recommended. Their combat strategy involves them disappearing for long amounts of time, and as such they serve practically no purpose, apart from occasionally setting an enemy on fire. They are also rather hard to target anyway (unless the player charges up the Plasmid beforehand), so it's no use even trying to Hypnotize them. **'Brute Splicers:' Highly recommended. They are not only capable of taking severe punishment before dying, but can also deal large amounts of damage at any range. Good for taking out enemies in large numbers or attacking other high-level targets, such as Big Daddies, Big Sisters, other Brutes and boss characters (such as the Wales brothers). **'Big Daddies:' Highly recommended. Although slower than Brutes, they are much tougher and deal more damage. Rosies have the best ranged capabilities, Bouncers are the most potent when fighting very powerful enemies one-on-one while Rumblers are best suited versus crowds. The Rumbler is the only Big Daddy type who can be befriended, as Hypnotize 3 is only available after reaching Fontaine Futuristics. **'Alpha Series:' Highly recommended. These enemies have the highest damage output in the game, and are faster (although far less resilient) than their Big Daddy counterparts. Their potency increases if the player has upgraded either the Machine Gun, Shotgun, or Launcher. Machine Gun Alphas are best suited for ranged combat, Shotgun Alpha Series are more potent in close quarters and Launcher Alphas are best at taking out groups of enemies, or foes with high amounts of health. Recommended Tonics *The EVE Saver line of Tonics decreases this Plasmid's casting cost. *Drill Specialist will imit the player's offensive weapon selection to the Drill, but will also greatly decrease the casting cost of this Plasmid. *Fountain of Youth restores Health and EVE when in water, which can allow constant (and free) use of this Plasmid without using any EVE hypos. Behind the Scenes *The Vigor and Plasmid Possession introduced in BioShock Infinite has the same ability to make an ally out of an enemy, in the form of a green ghostly appearance hovering around the target. However, this ability is not limited to living creatures and can also affect machines such as Basic Security Automatons/Security Devices or Motorized Patriots. Moreover, possessed vending machines (from both Columbia and Rapture) give out a small amount of money (in Silver Eagles or Dollars). See Also *Hypnotize Big Daddy *Enrage Category:BioShock 2 Plasmids